Category Archives: Pat’s Leadership Blog

It seems that the least respected teachers in American high schools are the Physical Education and Health teachers, many of whom are coaches. All they do is throw out the balls and play games. They are not really “teachers.” This is not at all an accurate picture. Most P.E. teachers I know are as hard-working…

A friend recently told me about a survey taken by senior citizens. They were asked about the most important things in their lives and their order of importance. The first priority on the list was no surprise: It was health. The second concept made me think as I did not expect it. It was FUN.…

Chris Carter, the NFL Hall of Fame receiver, made this point on the Mike and Mike Show recently. In short, he told young athletes that success in your career will be determined by what you do when nobody’s looking. I was privileged to coach some outstanding athletes in my forty-four years of coaching basketball at…

With our inaugural newsletter arriving just after Thanksgiving, I would like to share four thoughts with you on two of the most important words that leaders should consider incorporating in their vocabulary – Thank-You. These two words carry a lot of meaning both for the giver and the recipient. First, we all appreciate…

In his superb book, Adversaries into Allies, Bob Burg writes, “In the process of becoming an Ultimate Influencer, controlling your emotions comes before every step, every time.” Having coached basketball for forty-four years, I can certainly relate to the above statement. It took a game in North Dakota for me to realize how your emotions…

The big news from the athletic world this week came from the NFL. We had one player – Martin – accuse another player – Incognito – of bullying him. Because of the bullying, Martin left the Miami Dolphins team. Since the initial accusation, more information has surfaced, so we don’t know what really happened. Only…

The fundamentals are the keys to athletics. Balance, footwork, passing, dribbling, and shooting are the fundamentals taught in the play of basketball. It makes no difference what offense you run – motion, dribble drive, read and react, or set plays. It makes no difference what defense you run – man-to-man, zone, or match-up. If your…

“Birds sing after a storm…” (Rose Kennedy) If anyone had storms in his or her life, it was Rose Kennedy. The above was the quote that she used to get through all the tragedies that happened to her children. This was a quote a priest used in his homily one Sunday at Mass. He had…

“Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.” Whenever leaders are asked to speak on behalf of the organization they lead, it is of paramount importance that they take quality time to prepare. Many leaders do not take the time to properly prepare and too often speak off-the-cuff. Every time a leader speaks, he or she has the…

Leaders may gain a valuable insight from athletic coaches. Most people have some background at some level in sport. Because they often have this past, they can be very vocal as they see your teams play. And their opinions often reference just how dumb a coach you are! If you coach, it is a given…